1. Field
Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to the field of maintenance history data storage and viewing and more particularly to a system employing Augmented Reality (AR) enabled mobile maintenance tracking using optical reference points with a camera and projection system.
2. Background
Modern mechanical systems such as aircraft have extensive maintenance requirements and data records. Current maintenance data systems allow technicians to retrieve technical manuals and other maintenance information for a system type being worked on in portable computer or handheld devices for ease of access to necessary information. Many systems additionally include recorded maintenance information specific to the exact system being examined. This allows technicians immediate access to necessary information without having to leave the work area to view manuals, data records or computer terminals with the desired information.
The cost-effective inspection, repair and monitoring of repairs on composite aircraft requires precise locating and sizing of these repairs and their corresponding nondestructive evaluation (NDE) data. Current repair designs are dependent upon the location and size of previous repairs, which may not be obvious in external observations, for example a scarfed composite repair. Visual or enhanced visual inspection during routine maintenance checks (such as UV fluorescence measurements of chromatic witness surfaces) or ultrasonic re-inspection of a repair after a nearby lightning strike, require precise knowledge of damage and repair locations. Aircraft “walk-arounds” or visual inspections are regularly done by pilots and maintenance workers to examine the aircraft for maintenance issues, but provide little in terms of real information.
It is therefore desirable to provide a maintenance history solution that combines maintenance history visualization (damage, repair, NDE, etc.) on-aircraft location, and mobile devices, for user-friendly real-time and remote-expert maintenance tracking. It is further desirable that the solution be self registering using optically detection of temporary or permanent reference points.